Folding table



A. R. C. HOURD FOLDING TABLE Filed March 14, 1930 Patented Auajz', 1932 y UNITED :STAT-Es PATENT QFFI'CE FOLDING TABLE Application med Iarch 14, 1930. Serial No. 435,331.

M invention relates to improvements in foldmg tables, and the object of the invention is to construct a. table ofrigid and du-' rable construction, and a further object of my invention is to produce a table in which the legs can be locked in their extended position against accidental displacement.

Instability is the greatest objection to folding tables, for though comparatively rigid when` new, they as a general rule, lose their rigidity after being in use for some little time.

Another object of my invention is to provide strut members for retaining the legs in their extended position, and to furnish tension springs for retaining a resilient pressure between the struts and the legs, and a still further object of my invention is to utilize the tension of the springs for retaining the le s in their folded position when not in use.

y invention consists of a. table constructed and arranged all as hereinafter more particularly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which F1g.'1 is a perspective view of my table, the legs thereof being unfolded.

'Fig. 2 is a perspective view vofthe table with the legs thereof folded.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sideelevational view of the fragmentary portion of the table.

Fig. 4 1s a vertical cross-sectional view taken through the line 4-4 Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a further enlarged view of a fragmentary portion of one of the table legs a'nd a strut therefor, the connection between the le and the strut being shown in section.

ig. 6 is a similar view to Fig. 5, showing the leg partially folded, and Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken through the line 7-7 Fig. 6.

In the drawing like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the dierent views. v

My table comprises a top and four legs, 1, 2, 3 and 4 which extend from the corners thereof, such top can be of square or rectangular' form dependent upon the use to which the table is put. The top consists of a top face portion 5 formed of a sheet of substantially thin material and supported p when the upon a frame, the members 6 of which are deeper than the thickness of the top 5.

` Extending parallel and adjacent to two opposite side frame members 6 I furnish brace members 7 of the same depth as the members 6, so that two inverted channels 8 and 9 are formed upon the opposite sides of the top of the table underneath the top face 5. These channels are adapted to receive the legs when folded, the channel 8 `receiving the legs l and 2 and the channel 9 receiving the legs 3 and 4. The legs are pivotallymounted at their upper ends upon pins 10 which.

extend across the ends of the channels, and as the two legs in each channel fold one on top of the other the pin 10 in one end of the channel is close to the table top 5 and the pin p.

10 at the other end of the'channel close to the bottoms of the members 6 and 7.

From the foregoing ydescription it will be apparent that the legs are contained within the channels 8 and 9 when they are folded and are unfolded are swung downwardly a ove the pins 10 into the position illustrated in Fig. 1.

For retaining the legs in the extended position I furnish a strutk 11 for each leg, such struts-bein pivoted at their upper ends to the inner aces of either of the members 6 and 7, the strut and one leg in each groove being pivoted to the member 6 and the ystrut and the other leg pivoted to. the member 7.

Intermediately of the length of the legs I furnish strut-engaging members 12 of substantially U-shaped cross-section and pivoted to the legs upon pins 13 which are threaded into the legs. The struts extend through the members 12 between their bottoms 14 and the pins 13, and are formed in the vicinity of the lower ends with notches llwhich engage the pins as illustrated in Fig. 5, .thus retaining the legs against swinging movement.

The members 12 contain U-shaped members 16 which bear against the edges of the struts opposite theedges in which the notches are contained, and 17 are springs inserted be tween the bottoms 13 of the members 12 and the bottoms of the U-shaped members 16. It will thus be seen that the springs exert a pressure between the. bottoms of the members 12 and the struts keeping the struts in close contact with the pins 13 so that when the legs are swung downwardly into the extended position the notches 15 enga e the pins 13 and can only be removed rom engagement through manual movement of the struts .against the springs 17 g when of course the legs are at the same time swungso that the notched portions of the struts pass out of the U-shaped members 12 as illustrated in lpon reference to the dotted ortions of Fig. 3 it will he seen that when t e legs are folded and contained within the channels under the table the struts 11 lie in parallelJrelation beside their legs and through the pressure of the springs 17 such legs are frictionally retained in their folded osition. As the legs are swung downwardly 1n carrying them to the extending position the struts 1 1 pass through the members 12 as also illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 3 until the legs reach the fully extended position wherein the notches 15 come into envagement with ins 13 under the influence of s rings 17. en it is desired to fold the tahle legs it is only necessary to press the struts 11 away from pins 13 and swing the legs wherein the struts slide through the portions 12.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that l here devised e simple and et very rigid Jfolding tahie construction in which the leg supporting stru/s rigidly engage the legs through the medium o' the members 12 when the legs are in the extended positiom and :turthermore by the use the springs 1'? Jfor retaining the notches l5 in engafrement with the springs 13 there is no possilhility of the engagement between the struts and the legs 'becoming loose end the legs eccidentaily Jfold-- ing.. Although heee shown and described e particular emo ^nent of my invention it is to he understood t l een metre such changes end alterations es l: nay from time ,to time deem necessary wi departing from the spirit of invention es set forth in the eppended cierres What l claire.. es my invent-ion is:

1., En tehle of the character described9 leg pivotelly te the table top, n strut pivotelly secured to teoie top and engen lerly inclined to e when such le is in the ester-ded pos.. g e suhstsntie y slieoed menne the leg entends' e pin en enen end of the deuleg, e meniher slid contained within the e spring positionel tee Uehsped member tending shaped mernh r ehly engaging f L-sheped 5 between the het'v I and the strut eng g member.

'2. ln s table of one character described9 e. leg pivotelly seciired the table top? e strut i table top and engupivoteliy secured to i e lerly inclined tno when such leg is lessee@ the extended position, e suhstentiaiiy U shaped member secured to the leg' and through which the strut extends, si in ern tending through the two portions or the U shaped member in the vicinity oi its open end9 the U shaped member hein so positioned upon the leg that the upper ece of the strut is adjacent to the pin, and e spring contained within the U shaped member and positioned between the bottom of the U shaped member and the lower face of the strut to retain the strut in irictional engagement with the pin.

AlHUR REYBURN @MMSE HURE.

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